we had our catalytic converter stolen
and same for several of our neighbors
recently around four in the morning in
our underground parkade. for one of our
neighbors this was the second time
theirs was stolen in the underground
parking. we want to share with you what
to expect if this happens to you.
CATtle converter thefts are a worldwide
problem. they have become more common and
more frequent just within the last few
years.
these thefts can happen at any time, to
anyone, and anywhere. it can happen twice
or more to the same person and is a
major inconvenience that can be costly
especially if your vehicle is your
lifeline to getting to and from work and
other places. stay tuned on what you can
expect when a catalytic converter theft
occurs to you.
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the catalytic converter is also known as
the CAT and we'll be calling it that
going forward. CATS are used in combustion
engine vehicles to reduce the harmful
pollution emitted in the exhaust. they
are often loCATed under the vehicle and
are easily accessible. they contain small
amounts of precious metals like rhodium,
platinum and palladium which can have a
higher price than gold. thieves are
stealing them because they are easy to
steal and can make a good profit from
selling them to scrap yards, junkyards
and even online. quick note. this video
has timestamps in the video description
below or in the time bar. feel free to
skip ahead or go back. whether or not
your CAT was stolen this is the best
time to call your auto insurance
provider and find out what kind of auto
insurance coverage you have. CAT theft is
typically covered under the
comprehensive coverage part of your auto
insurance. see if you're covered for the
following: theft of a CAT. tow service to
an auto shop to replace the CAT.
additional damage done to other parts of
the vehicle when the theft of the CAT
occurred. use of a rental car. ask if you
are covered if your CAT is stolen a
second time. this may sound horrible for
it to happen again, however there are
many stories that this has happened two
or more times to the same person. check
some of our source info in the video
description below for examples. find out
how much you will pay out of pocket,
which is known as the deductible and how
much the insurance company would pay.
confirm with your auto insurance company
if the CAT replacement insurance claim
will increase your monthly auto
insurance premium.
as we asked ours and this type of claim
shouldn't result in an increase in
premium. this could help you decide if
you want to go through with the claim or
pay for the repairs yourself.
when you start a vehicle with the CAT
stolen the vehicle will initially sound
super loud as the engine warms up and
the vehicle may vibrate or shake more
than usual. warning take the time now to
adjust your volume on your speakers. the
sound inside and outside the vehicle is
extremely loud. here is what the vehicle
sounds like inside when you start the
engine.
it's getting super loud right now
and the car is very shaky. you can feel
it.
the car's vibrating like crazy.
we don't have any check engine lights.
not yet.
we don't want to let the car start too
long because we don't want that much gas
or pollution to be here in the
underground parking.
now the car is not vibrating as much.
here's what the vehicle sounds from the
outside.
[Music]
another is when you start to drive your
vehicle with the CAT cut out there will
be a stronger smell of gasoline and
pollution. having your fan turned on with
recirculate turned off will draw it
inside the vehicle. yep. recirculates on
because we don't want to inhale the
gasoline and we're going to turn off our
blower. if you check underneath your
vehicle, the exhaust pipe will be a
missing piece of pipe that was your CAT
and it will not be hard to miss.
sometimes there will be a pipe dangling
from where the cut was made.
you may also notice metal shavings or
metal pieces underneath your vehicle as
well.
safely check underneath your vehicle and
confirm that the CAT was stolen. take
pictures and videos for your own records
walk around your vehicle to see from top
to bottom if any other damage was done
to any other part. ask neighbors if they
have security camera footage or have
seen anything suspicious happen to your
vehicle including the time and date. talk
to other affected neighbors too to get
more information and to start watching
out for one another. if you live in an
apartment complex, ask your management
team if they have security camera
footage of the theft and the date and
time it occurred. ask if they had reported
the incident to the police and get the
file number, badge number and name of the
officer or constable who responded to
them. also get their phone number. when
calling the police, call their
non-emergency number instead of 9-1-1.
report the situation as a non-emergency
and theft. give them as much detail and
information as you can of the theft.
contact your insurance company to report
the theft and find out when you can get
your CAT replaced. also ask if they
already have an approved list of auto
shops that you can go to. ideally it
would be nice to have the replacement
done at an auto shop near you. it may not
be legal to drive your vehicle without a
CAT and in some cases you could get a
ticket. if an exhaust pipe is dangling
down it may also not be safe to drive
and you can cause more damage to your
vehicle. depending on where your vehicle
is located, your auto insurance company
or the tow truck company may need to
know if your vehicle is drivable and
knowing that they will determine what
type of tow truck to send to you to
bring your vehicle to the auto shop. if
you have a second spare key for your
vehicle provide it to the tow truck
driver. feel free to put a big keychain
on it so that it won't get mixed up with
other keys at the auto shop. when you get
your vehicle back ask the auto shop the
following questions.
what they did? what kind of part they
used to replace the CAT? is it an oem
original or an aftermarket part?
is there a warranty for the CAT and what
does it cover?
for us we got an aftermarket certified
CAT replacement part as our vehicle is
older. they installed it by welding the
CAT on with additional piping and
replaced one oxygen sensor with a new
one. the total cost was $619 canadian
dollars and six cents. our deductible out
of pocket cost was $250 canadian and the
insurance paid $396 dollars canadian and
six cents. we want to keep our vehicle at
least for another 10 years so we will be
putting some time and money to reducing
the chances of the CAT being stolen.
again, unfortunately this is a crime of
opportunity and is not 100% preventable,
but there are ways we can make it harder
to be stolen by implementing multiple
layers of security. check out our video
on a DIY solution for preventing CAT
theft. police recommend painting the CAT
with high temp colorful paint and to
engrave or etch your license plate
number or vin number, along with your
province or state that you live in. this
is meant to make your CAT less appealing
to thieves so find out more in this
video.
also check out our other video for ways
you can prevent CAT theft on your
vehicle. do this before it happens for
the first time or worse a second time.